Abstract

The broad, long-term objective of the proposed research is development of a diagnostic imaging modality based on the polarization and coherent properties of light for anatomical and functional imaging of the eye. The underlying hypothesis for the proposed research is that in glaucomatous eyes optical birefringence of the retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) displays a characteristic decrease with development and progression of the disease. Polarization-sensitive and depth-resolved measurement of light reflected from the retina can be used to determine both NFL thickness and axon density with unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution. Successful completion of the proposed research is expected to result in the development of a Polarization Sensitive Retinal Tomography (PSRT) methodology that will provide ophthalmologists a valuable imaging modality for detection and diagnosis of glaucoma.
The specific aims of this proposal are to: 1) Design and construct a PSRT instrument utilizing active pixel photodetector arrays that provides high accuracy quantitative tomographic imaging measurements of the eye at video frame rates; 2) Using in vivo animal model studies, verify operation of the PSRT instrument to measure accurately the retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) thickness and axon density; and 3) Conduct a clinical study to demonstrate how a diagnostic PSRT measurement offers a direct means of documenting retinal NFL thickness and axon density, and more importantly, provides the clinician a valuable imaging modality for the detection and diagnosis of glaucoma. Development of the PSRT instrument will be guided by studies proposed at three levels: 1) in-vivo and post-mortem studies using the New Zealand rabbit animal model to verify accuracy of PSRT measurements of NFL thickness and axon density; 2) characterization of the NFL atrophy in a primate model with induced glaucoma; and 3) clinical trials involving normal subjects and glaucoma patients to verify operation of the PSRT instrument to detect and diagnose glaucoma.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Resource-Related Research Projects (R24)
Project #
5R24EY012877-03
Application #
6384853
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-SRB (02))
Program Officer
Liberman, Ellen S
Project Start
1999-09-30
Project End
2003-09-29
Budget Start
2001-09-30
Budget End
2002-09-29
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$523,148
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of Texas Austin
Department
Biomedical Engineering
Type
Schools of Engineering
DUNS #
City
Austin
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
78712

  Publications

Cense, B; Chen, T C; de Boer, J F (2006) In vivo thickness and birefringence determination of the human retinal nerve fiber layer using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography. Bull Soc Belge Ophtalmol :109-21
Park, Jesung; Kemp, Nate J; Zaatari, Haitham N et al. (2006) Differential geometry of normalized Stokes vector trajectories in anisotropic media. J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis 23:679-90
Cense, B; Chen, T C; Nassif, N et al. (2006) Ultra-high speed and ultra-high resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and optical Doppler tomography in ophthalmology. Bull Soc Belge Ophtalmol :123-32
Kim, Jeehyun; Dave, Digant P; Rylander, Christopher G et al. (2006) Spatial refractive index measurement of porcine artery using differential phase optical coherence microscopy. Lasers Surg Med 38:955-9
Rylander 3rd, H Grady; Kemp, Nate J; Park, Jesung et al. (2005) Birefringence of the primate retinal nerve fiber layer. Exp Eye Res 81:81-9
Nassif, Nader A; Armstrong, William B; de Boer, Johannes F et al. (2005) Measurement of morphologic changes induced by trauma with the use of coherence tomography in porcine vocal cords. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 133:845-50
Chen, Teresa C; Cense, Barry; Pierce, Mark C et al. (2005) Spectral domain optical coherence tomography: ultra-high speed, ultra-high resolution ophthalmic imaging. Arch Ophthalmol 123:1715-20
Kemp, Nate J; Park, Jesung; Zaatari, Haitham N et al. (2005) High-sensitivity determination of birefringence in turbid media with enhanced polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography. J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis 22:552-60
Larin, Kirill V; Akkin, Taner; Esenaliev, Rinat O et al. (2004) Phase-sensitive optical low-coherence reflectometry for the detection of analyte concentrations. Appl Opt 43:3408-14
Nassif, Nader; Cense, Barry; Park, B Hyle et al. (2004) In vivo human retinal imaging by ultrahigh-speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Opt Lett 29:480-2

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